No N-plant plan in Goa, Union min just cited alternatives: CM

Panaji: After Union minister for power Manohar Lal Khattar said, during his Goa visit, that the feasibility of setting up a nuclear plant in the state will be examined, chief minister Pramod Sawant said on Tuesday that the statement had been wrongly interpreted. Khattar had said that such feasibility evaluations are being done across India, as stipulated by the Centre’s new policy.

Sawant said that Khattar was only stressing the need to explore alternative sources of power generation for Goa.

“A nuclear power project will never come up in Goa. There is a BJP govt in Goa, which will not bring a nuclear power plant to the state. Goa is a small state,” Sawant said. “Manohar Lal Khattar ji was only speaking about what the alternatives for power generation are. They are hydro, solar, wind, and nuclear power.”

Goa has to think about alternative power sources, said Sawant, when asked to respond to the opposition’s criticism of the announcement.

The Union minister’s statement had come under heavy flak from the opposition. It said that any threat from such a plant could permanently hit tourism revenue in Goa.

“We have already begun work on generating solar power. For wind power, we have already issued the tender. Why will we bring nuclear power?” Sawant said. “He has said we should think about it. Does it mean we have brought it? He has spoken about all four alternative sources. Not just one. They (the opposition) are in the habit of speaking anything.”